ligon



E. T. LIGON. RAILWAY GAR.

No. 83,717. Patented Nov. 3, 1868'.

' din-lied 5' ltime gem E. T. LIGON, 0F DEMOPOL'IS, ALABAMA. an... Patent No. 83,717, dated November 3, 1868.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-CAR.

.l'ho Schedule referred to in than Letters Patent and making part of the lame.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, E. T. LIGON, of Demopolis, in the ,county of Marengo, and State of Alabama, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad- Gars; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will its object, first, the prevention of accidents nowcaused by the cars being thrown from the track, and also to avoid the danger to which passengers are now exposed in getting in and out of cars, as well as to avoid the danger attending the breaking of axles, which not unfreqnently occurs.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, A represents the body of the car, the central portion of which extends down between the two trucks B B, so as to be within a short distance of the rails O of theroad, as shownin fig. 1.

By this means, the centre of gravity of the car is lowered, and a more steady and even motion of the cars obtained. The sides of the car project out about two feet beyond the rails, at each side of the same, and hence the great danger attending the getting in and out of the car by passengers avoided.

I design to have thebottom of the car constructed of sheet-iron, with v"-shaped stringers, a, attached to it, running longitudinally with the bottom, and one at each side of each rail, as shown in fig. 2.

By this arrangement, in the event of the wheels running oii' the rails, the car will have but a short distance to drop, andthe stringers a will engage, flangelike, with, the rails for about thirty feet, and the car will be kept on the. rails. In case the rails should be torn up, then thesharpedges of the stringers will cut their way'into the sleepers, on which the rails are laid, and hold the cars on the track.

The car-axles Dare each supported by a central box, E, so that, in the event of a wheel or the axle breaking at either end, 'the axle'will be supported.- This central box E also serves to steady the axle, and lessen its vibratory motion, thereby preventing, in a great measure, the granular change in the metal.

The inner sides of the tubular axles are coated with copper, tin, or zinc, and within each axle there is placed a piece of wire cable, F, also coated or galvanized, and the cable and tube brazed together. By this means, the axle will be greatly strengthened, and the accidents now caused .by the breaking of the same prevented.

Having thus described my invention, g p

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The body of a railroad-canhaving'its bottom extended down between the trucks, as" described, and provided at its bottom side with v shaped metallic stringers a, 'as herein set forth, for the purpose soecifled.

E. T. LIGON. Witnesses:

'lnos. J. Fosrnn, B. H. POWELL. 

